Spring-seat.



DON CARLOS TRAVIS.

SPRING 351".

APPLICATION FILED DELL 26, 1911.

Patented J an. 28, 1913.

2 SHEETS"SHEET1 DON CARLOS TRAVIS.

SPRING SEAT. APPLICATION FILE-D DEC 201911,

1 ,05 1 A66 Patented Ja.11.28, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNMED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

DON GARLOS TRAVIS, F KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE SIMMONS MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

SPRING-SEAT.

Eipeeification of Letters Patent.

Patenteddan. 28, 19131.

Application-filed December 26, 1911. Serial No. 667,690.

I To all whom it may concern:

all

hereinafter described and more Be it known that I, Don CARLOS TRAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Kenosha, county of Kenosha, and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring- Seats, of which the following is a specification.

lhis invention relates to improvements in spring seats, and refers more'particularly to a seat for use with motor cars, automobiles and the like, and is generally formed by a series of coiled or helical springs.

Among'the salient objects of the invention are to rovide a construction having relatively sti outerv springs forming a bprder extending entirely around the seat and inclosing a more resilient inner spring cushion, whereby the shape of the seat is always maintained and, at the same time, suflicient resiliency is seclired; to provide a construc tion of the above character in which the springs forming the entire cushion: are so formed that they will support a relatively heavy load and, at the same time, maintain sufficient resiliency for. a light. or normal load; to provide a construction in which the springs forming the inner cushion are disconnected from the relatively stiff border springs and operate independently of the latter; to provide a construction in which the inner springs are so connected that they will at all times maintain their normal aline ment, while, at the same time, having their upper halves independently movable; to provide a construction of the characterireferred to, novel means for securing the outer or rim springs to the border wires; to pr0- vide'a construction which maintains the desired resiliency whether riding over smooth or rou h roads and which, at the same time, will w; thstand severe strains without injuring the spring members, and, in generahto provide a simple and economical construction of the character referred to.

The invention consists in the matters particularly pointed out in the ap ended claims.

In the drawings, igure 1 is a top plan view; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View; Fig. l is a fragmentary detail showing the manner, of securing the cross slats to the inner springs;

' Fig. 5 isa detail showing one of the integrally formed clips before bending; Fig. 6

is a similar view showing the clip after benig bent over its border wire; and Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the manner of securing the lower ends of the springs to the base wires.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the outer front row oftborder springs, 2 the back r'bw, and 3 and 4 the side rows. To the upper end of each of these rows is secured an innerborder wire 5 and an outer border wire 6. Each of these borderwires, as is shown more clearly in Fig. 1, extends entirely around the rim, of the seat, and is preferably formed as an endless wire. The border springs and connecting wires inches the springs 17 forming the inner cushion hereinafter more articularly described.

As a feature of the invention, the upper ends of the outer springs are secured to the border wires by a'series ofintegrally formed clips which not only effectively tiethesprings to theborder wires, but provide a readymeans. for accurately centering the outer springs. These integrally formed clips also serve to add additional strength to the rim portion of the seat. Describing more in detail the manner of securing the springs to the border wire, the springs of the front row 1 are secured, at their upper outer edge to the border wirefi-by means of clips 7, -which are integrally formed with the wire 8 extending across the front edge of the seat. per bends l3 and 14 and a central bend or ton e 15. In securing the clips to the springs and border wires, the bends 13 and 14 extend under the top coil of the springs and the border wire and the tongue is then bent inwardly. and downwardly as shown in Fig; 1. The members of each row of clips are spaced equidistant apart, and accordingly when the clips are connected to the springs and border wires, the former will necessarily be accurately centered. The connecting wire for each row of clips forms, in efiect, an additional border wire which adds to the strength and rigidity of the. outer row of springs.

The rear edge of the front row of springs 1 is secured to the border wire 5 by identically formed clips 9 integral withthe connecting wire 10. It will be noted that the corner springs 1 are, in the present instance, not connected at their inner edge to the border wire 5. Thelrear row of springs Each of these clips-comprises up 2 is fastened to the border wires in exactly the same way as the front row, by means of clips 7 and 9' integrally secured to the connecting wires 8' and 10 respectively. It will also be noted that the connecting wire 8 extends the entire length of the rear row of springs 2, and the corner springs 2 of the latter are connected to the outer border wire 6 by clips 7'. The end springs 3 and 4 are similarly connected to the border wires 5 and 6 by clips 7 and 9", integrally formed with the connecting wires 8 and 10". The front corner springs 1 are preferably connected to the sides of the outer border wire 6 by means of the clips 7 While the outer springs are relatively strong, their rigidity is materially increased not only "by the border wires, but by the wires connecting the clips as heretofore stated. At the same time, the border springs have suflicient resiliency to be comfortable for, the user.

The lower ends of the border springs are secured to transversely extending wires 18 and longitudinally extending wires 19,.the ends of the wires 18 and 19 being secured to the base border wire 20, which extends entirely around thebottom of the seat and is preferably formed as an endless wire, as shown. The transverse wires 18 and the longitudinal wires 19 are looped. through the lower coils of the springs in the manner shown in. Fig. 7, which construction, how-- ever, forms no part of the present invention.

Referring now to the manner of forming the inner springs 17 which comprises upper coils 21, central coils 22 and bottom coils 23. The upper coils 21 are comparatively resilient, while the central coils 22 are relatively stifi. Preferably, the lower coils-23 are of a resiliency intermediate the upper and central coils 21 and 22. The lower ends of these inner springs 17 are secured to the transverse wires 18 and 1? in the manner shown in Fig. 7. These inner springs 17 are centered by means of longitudinally extending straps or slats 24 and transverse or cross slats 25. The slats 24 are provided with a plurality of pairs of tongues I 26,

which are struck up from the strap and looped over one of the central coils 22, as is shown more clearly in Fig. 4. These slats or straps not only effectively center the inner springs, but add to the rigidity and strength of the central coils 22 of the spring. The upper coils 21 are free as shown, and accordingly more resilient than if connected. It will be-noted that the inner springs 17 are entirely disconnected from the border springs, so that the inner cushion can move independently of the rim of the seat, and the upper half of each inner spring moves independently of the upper half of the remaining inner springs.

springs,

The construction and arrangement of the inner springs is such that a normal weight on the springs is supported by the upper coils 21 of the inner springs, it being noted that the inner springs, in the present instance, project above the plane of the border springs. When the car strikes a rut or obstruction in the road so as to depress the 'upper coils 21, the shock and weight are borne by the relatively stifi' central coils 22. These central coils are, of course, riding resiliently on the lower'coils 23, and accordingly the passenger will experience no discomfort or shock when the car passes over said rut or obstruction in the road. In the case of an excessive weight or shock,

'the lowermost coils 23 will, of course be depressed.

It is to be understood that while the border springs are relatively much stifier than the-inner cushion as a whole, they are nevertheless sufiiciently resilient to permit the seat to ride easily.

The invention is not limited to the details of construct-ion shown, except as set' forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 4

1. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of rows of inner coiled springs, each of said inner springs comprising relatively resilient upper coils, relatively stiff central coils, and lower coils of a resiliency intermediate the upper and central coils, a plurality of longitudinally and transversely extending slats connected to the central coils of said inner springs, a row of coiled border springs inclosing said inner springs and of less resiliency thanthe upper coils of the inner springs, a pair of border wires inclosing the upper ends of said outer sprmgs,-clips connecting the" border wires to the upper ends of said outer springs,

the clips for each side of each border w1re being integrally connected, and means for connecting the lower ends of said outer and inner springs.

2. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of rows of inner coiled sprin s,

,inclosing the upper ends of said outer springs, means. for securing said border Wires to the upper ends of said outer and meansfor connecting the lower ends of the inner and outer sprin said inner androuter springs moving in ependently of each other.-

3. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of rows of springs forming an inner cushion, each of said inner springs having a relatively resilient upper end and a stiffer lower portion, means for connecting said inner springs intermediate their ends whereby each of said inner springs has its upper portion independently movable of the upper portions of the remaining inner springs, a row of outer springs having less resiliency than the upper portion of said inner springs, means for connecting the up per ends of the outer springs, and means for connecting the lower ends of the inner and outer springs, said inner and outer springs moving independently of each other.

4. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of coiled springs forming an inner cushion, of a row of outer coiled springs inclosing said inner springs and of less resiliency than said inner springs to form a relatively stiff border, means for connecting the upper ends of said border springs, means for connecting said inner springs intermediate their ends, and means for connecting the lower ends of said inner and outer springs.

5. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of inner coiled springs, each of said inner springs having coils of varying resiliency, a plurality of outer coiled springs inclosing said inner springs, a pairof border wires extending around the rim of the seat, integrally formed cli s securing each side of the respective bore er wires to the upper ends of the adjacent outer springs, and means for connecting the lower ends of said inner and outer springs, said inner and outer springs being arranged to move independently of each other.

6. In a spring seat, the combination with longitudinally and transversely extending rows of inner coiled springs, of a row of coiled border springs, a pair of border wires, a plurality of integrally formed clips for connecting each of said border wires to the upper ends of said border springs, and means for connecting the lower ends of said inner and border springs, said inner and border springs moving independently of each other.

7. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of inner coiled springs, of a plurality of coiled border springs, border wires at the upper ends of said border springs and lying along the opposite sides of the latter, tie-Wires at the upper ends of said border springs and lying along side of the respective border wires, a plurality of clips formed integrally with the respective tie wires and connecting the border wires to the border springs, and means for connecting the lower ends of said inner and outer springs.

8. In a spring seat, the combination with a plurality of inner coiled springs, of a plurality of coiled border springs, border wires at the upper ends of said border springs and lying along the opposite sides of the latter, tie-wires at the upper ends of said border springs and lying along side of the respective border wires, a plurality of clips formed integrally with the respective tie wires and connecting the border wires to the border springs and means for preventing lateral displacement of the inner springsrelative to the border springs.

DON CARLOS TRAVIS.

Witnesses J. H. CANTWELL, J r., A. D. CAVANAGII. 

